Local area networks are widely used as a mechanism for making available computer resources, such as file servers, scanners, and printers, to a multitude of computer users. It is often desirable with such networks to restrict user access to the computer resources in order to manage data traffic over the network and to prevent unauthorized use of the resources. Typically, resource access is restricted by defining access control lists for each network resource. However, as the control lists can only be defined by the network administrator, it is often difficult to manage data traffic at the resource level.
Wide area networks, such as the Internet, have evolved as a mechanism for providing distributed computer resources without regard to physical geography. Recently, the Internet Print Protocol (“IPP”) has emerged as a mechanism to control access to printing resources over the Internet. However, IPP is replete with deficiencies. For example, the ability to restrict access to firewall protected network resources is compromised when firewall access ports remain open for extended periods of time, i.e. are open and waiting for network traffic to access them. For example, access to IPP printers cannot be obtained without the resource administrator locating the resource outside the enterprise firewall, or without opening an access port through the enterprise firewall. Whereas the latter solution provides the resource administrator with the limited ability to restrict resource access, the necessity of keeping open an access port in the enterprise firewall exposes the enterprise network to the possibility of security breaches.
Further, there exists disadvantages in current network resource data transfer over networks of differing trust/protection levels, in particular in the specialized control of network resource data separate from the act of communicating the network resource data itself.